Monthly Archives: June 2009

Geared Continental GO-300 175 hp Six-cylinder Engines

By:     Norm Goyer I have flown many geared-engine aircraft, including the C-175, Twin Bonanza, Golden Eagle,  Helio Courier and dozens of geared Rotax two-and four-stroke-engine powered homebuilts. My experience boils down to some simple advice; read the owner’s manual, and … Continue reading

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The Most Successful Mass Produced Aircraft: Part I Cessna C-172 with O-300 Continental

By:     Norm Goyer Of course we are talking about the Cessna 172. Not only does it have the title of “Most Popular Aircraft Ever” title, it is also considered to be one of the safest small aircraft ever designed. As … Continue reading

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Points to Check When Buying a Used Cherokee

The first Cherokees used variations of the Lycoming O-320 engine. BY:      Norm Goyer Some older Cherokees make better family aircraft than other models. The best value has always been with the Cherokee 180. This model has a Lycoming O-360 engine … Continue reading

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The Indian Uprising of 1961

By:       Norm Goyer I have always preferred a military style aircraft, that is, low wing, power quadrant and good power-to-weight ratio. Maybe it was because Tina and I were almost pushed out to sea backwards in a 40 hp J-2 … Continue reading

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Cessna 152 in Actual Flying School Use, Or No Fuel like an Old Fuel

One of my companies owned a small fleet of new Cessna 152s we used in our Cessna Flying School course at Apple Valley Airport. This Southern California facility had an elevation of 3000 feet. At that time, we had one 6500 X 150 foot runway which was basically north and south. At the southern end, the elevation was 2950, at the north end it was 3050, a rise of 100 feet. Prevailing wind blew from 220 degrees which gave pilots a constant cross-wind factor. Winter-time morning temperatures ranged from 20F degrees to 40F degrees, in other words; cold. Our fuel farm was owned and serviced by Texaco. Continue reading

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Cessna’s 150 & 152, Outstanding Trainers

Thousands of pilots the world over have earned their wings in a Cessna 150 or a 152. This tiny, cramped, but inexpensive two-place primary trainer has been the favorite of flight schools since it was introduced in 1958. Hundreds of them are still in use at airports all over the world. The reasons are many; probably the main one is that the folks at Cessna did their homework on the design so that it meets all the requirements for both student pilots and flying schools. Continue reading

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Aviation Movies and Women Pilots

I have loved aviation movies ever since my mother took me to see “Dawn Patrol” when I was grade school. I can still visualize the marquis of the Calvin Theatre in Northampton, Massachusetts. It had full-size cutouts of two airplanes, one on its nose and the other flying over, with the Allied pilot waving to his victim in the crashed Fokker. The other night I was surfing “Direct TV” and stumbled upon, you guessed it, the 1938 version of “Dawn Patrol.” Continue reading

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